Archive September 12, 2025

Netflix star Miranda Cosgrove’s life from chilling stalker story to viral fame

Nickelodeon icon Miranda Cosgrove has returned to screens in a new Netflix romcom.

iCarly icon Miranda Cosgrove plays a role worlds away from her Nickelodeon days in Netflix’s new romcom, The Wrong Paris.

The 32-year-old stars as Dawn, a young woman who aspires to study art in Paris, France.

When she lands a place at her dream school, Dawn realises she cannot afford the flight to France and hatches a plan to travel for free.

She applies for a dating show, which is filmed in Paris, hoping to quit the programme as soon as she lands on French soil. However, her scheme backfires when the show takes her to Paris, Texas instead.

With Cosgrove reclaiming her place on the small screen, let’s look back at her life since rising to fame on Nickelodeon.

Inside Miranda Cosgrove’s career after iCarly

Miranda (left) shot to fame on the Nickelodeon sitcom (Image: Nickelodeon Network/Courtesy Everett Co / Everett Collection)

Miranda shot to fame for portraying Carly Shay on Nickelodeon’s hit sitcom, iCarly. She starred opposite Jennette McCurdy and Nathan Kress, who played her best friends Sam and Freddie.

The show follows the trio as they run an internet sketch show, which unexpectedly gains popularity.

Although it came to an end almost 13 years ago, the leading actors have remained friends.

Miranda recently reflected on their relationships, telling People: “I’ll always love them [Jennette and Nathan], and they’ll always be family to me, because we grew up together for so many years.”

Years after the Nickelodeon show, Miranda reprised the role of Carly in the 2021 revival of iCarly.

Miranda Cosgrove and Brooke Shields
She recently starred in Netflix’s Mother of the Bride (Image: Netflix)

Elsewhere in her career, the former child star has lent her voice to Margo in all four Despicable Me films.

Her most recent role was in Netflix’s romantic drama Mother of the Bride, in which she plays Brooke Shields’ daughter.

Inside Miranda Cosgrove’s chilling stalker story

Despite being thrust into the spotlight at a young age, Miranda has kept her personal life relatively private.

However, she has opened up about a harrowing incident which left her feeling unsafe at home.

Miranda Cosgrove
The TV star has opened up about a harrowing 2016 incident (Image: Getty Images )

In 2016, a man set himself on fire before fatally shooting himself in Miranda’s backyard, while she wasn’t at home. It later emerged that he had been stalking the TV star.

Miranda recalled the traumatising ordeal in 2024, in the wake of Netflix’s Baby Reindeer becoming a trending topic.

In a chat with Bustle, she explained that the incident left her avoiding her own home. Instead, she would often visit her parents’ house.

“I just don’t feel super safe in that house. For two years after it happened, I wouldn’t really stay there.”

“Then I got into a relationship and because that person was there with me, I was less scared. But I don’t really like being there on my own that much,” she added.

At the time of the interview, the Netflix star confessed that she was still on the hunt for a house she could feel safe in.

Inside Miranda Cosgrove’s viral fame

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Miranda’s internet fame didn’t start and end on iCarly. The California native has also been the subject of numerous social media memes over the years.

Among them is the ‘interesting’ meme, which is taken from her role as Megan Parker on Nickelodeon’s Drake and Josh.

The scene features her character sitting in front of a computer and taking a sip from a canned drink, before saying: “Interesting.”

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It became a viral meme in the mid 2010s as social media users began posting humorous scenarios alongside screenshots of the scene. It is still used today as a way of expressing suspicion.

Miranda caught onto the trend and later recreated it in the 2021 reboot of iCarly.

NATO states on alert as Russia and Belarus launch Zapad military drills

Russia and Belarus have begun large-scale military exercises, raising alarm across NATO’s eastern flank just days after Warsaw accused Moscow of sending attack drones across Polish airspace, a major escalation that sent shivers through Europe.

The Zapad 2025 manoeuvres, which run from Friday until Tuesday, are taking place as Russian forces continue their slow advance in Ukraine and intensify air attacks on Ukrainian cities. The Kremlin insists the drills were planned well before the drone incident.

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“The objectives of the drills are to improve the skills of commanders and staffs, the level of cooperation and field training of regional and coalition groupings of troops,” Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Telegram.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed the exercises, including those near the Polish border, “are not aimed against any other country”.

But tensions are running high. Poland shut its last open border crossings with Belarus overnight, with state media in Minsk showing guards laying barbed wire along the frontier.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the coming period as “critical days”, warning that his country was closer to “open conflict” than at any time since World War II.

“This decision to close the border … is a response to very specific aggressive military exercises against Poland that are starting in Belarus,” Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said. “We are doing this for the safety of our citizens. Russia has been behaving aggressively towards Poland in recent days and for many years … towards the entire civilised world.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski in Kyiv before talks on shared security on Friday.

“Against the backdrop of Russia’s escalation of terror against Ukraine and provocations against Poland, we stand firmly together,” Sybiha wrote on X.

Baltic states step up security

Neighbouring Lithuania and Latvia, also NATO members, have stepped up security and announced partial airspace closures. Belarus says the drills will take place near Borisov, east of Minsk.

In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow’s intentions went beyond its war in Ukraine. “The meaning of such actions by Russia is definitely not defensive and is directed precisely against not only Ukraine,” he said.

Zapad exercises are normally held every four years. The last, in 2021, mobilised some 200,000 Russian troops shortly before Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This year’s version is expected to be smaller, as much of Russia’s military remains committed to the battlefield. Belarus initially announced 13,000 troops would join, later halving that figure.

Polish officials believe the drills may simulate an attack on the Suwalki corridor – the narrow stretch of NATO territory linking Poland and Lithuania between Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. Military planners see the corridor as one of the alliance’s most vulnerable points.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed those concerns as “utter nonsense”, while officials in Minsk earlier claimed the exercises were shifted away from NATO borders “to reduce tensions”.

In the meantime, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France will summon the Russian ambassador on Friday over this week’s drone incursion into Poland’s airspace, which he told France Inter radio was “not an accident”.

Yu Menglong dead: Netflix’s Eternal Love actor dies at 37 after ‘falling from building’

Chinese actor and singer Yu Menglong has died at the age of 37, leaving fans across Asia mourning the sudden loss of one of the country’s most recognisable television stars.

Yu, who became a household name thanks to his role in the fantasy romance Eternal Love – a drama that went on to garner more than 50 billion views within just 18 months – reportedly “fell to his death” on September 11.

News of his death was confirmed by his management team through a statement on Weibo, where they expressed deep grief: “With unbearable sorrow, we announce that our beloved Menglong fell to his death on Sept 11. Police have ruled out any criminality. We hope he rests in peace and his loved ones remain strong.”

Speculation surrounding the tragedy began hours earlier when a paparazzi account claimed the performer had died in Beijing “after falling from height” at a friend’s apartment.

According to the now-deleted post, Yu was said to have spent the evening with “five or six” companions before retiring to a guest room around 2am and “locking the door.”

The post continued: “When his friends were leaving the flat this morning at 6am, they couldn’t find him and only discovered his body on the ground floor. A resident who was walking their dog contacted the police, who have ruled out any criminality and investigations are ongoing.”

Yu Menglong’s path to stardom began more than a decade ago when he first appeared on the televised talent show Super Boy in 2010 but was eliminated.






The Chinese actor has died at the age of 37


The Chinese actor has died at the age of 37
(
VCG via Getty Images)






Yu lost his life when he tragically fell from a building


Yu lost his life when he tragically fell from a building
(
Visual China Group via Getty Images)

He then returned in 2013 and placed in the top ten, which kicked off his stellar career into the entertainment industry. That same year, he released his debut single Just Nice, demonstrating his dual talent as both a singer and an actor.

His breakthrough as a performer came in 2015 when he portrayed the 9th prince in the historical web drama Go Princess Go. Later that year, he also launched his first album, Toy.

His popularity soared two years later thanks to his portrayal of Bai Zhen in Eternal Love, a role that cemented him as one of the most beloved figures on Chinese television and gained him an international fanbase through streaming platforms such as Netflix.

Following the success of Eternal Love, Yu continued to work successfully as he took on roles in productions including Xuan-Yuan Sword: Han Cloud, Legend of the White Snake, and Who’s Not Rebellious Youth.






Yu was a beloved actor and singer in China


Yu was a beloved actor and singer in China
(
VCG via Getty Images)

His last two web dramas, The Love Lasts Two Minds and The Moon Brightens For You, were released in 2020, marking the final entries in his on-screen career.

Over the years, Yu built a reputation not only for his acting but also for his gentle public image, with fans praising his versatility and his on-screen charisma.

His death has sparked widespread grief on Chinese social media, where tributes continue to pour in from admirers who grew up watching his work.

While investigations into the exact circumstances remain ongoing, authorities have stressed there is no evidence of foul play.

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Manhunt for Charlie Kirk’s shooter: What we know on day two

More than 30 hours after a fatal shooting that has shaken the United States, the federal manhunt for US conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killer is intensifying.

Kirk, the 31-year-old author and podcast host who helped to revitalise the conservative youth vote and return US President Donald Trump to the White House, died shortly after being rushed to hospital on Wednesday with a gunshot wound to his neck.

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On Thursday, authorities released photographs and video footage showing a “person of interest” racing across a university rooftop from which the fatal shot is believed to have been fired. The suspect has not yet been identified.

Here is what we know about the latest in the investigation and Kirk’s killing:

What do we know about where the killer is now?

The suspect, who fatally wounded Kirk with a single gunshot while he was speaking to a crowd of more than 3,000 people at an event at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Wednesday, has still not been identified and remains at large. Authorities have also not speculated about any motive behind the shooting.

Police and federal investigators have asked the public to help identify the suspect. Video footage and images of the man have been circulated.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox said investigators had completed more than 200 interviews and asked the public to keep sending photos and videos to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He added that investigators had received about 7,000 tips from the general public.

“We need as much help as we can possibly get,” he told a news conference on Thursday night, alongside FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino. “We cannot do our job without the public’s help right now.”

Authorities also said they found a palm print on the rooftop, a shoe impression and a hunting rifle in nearby woods where it is believed that the attacker fled.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox speaks at a news conference [Cheney Orr/Reuters]

What details have been released about the suspect?

Utah’s Department of Public Safety released several photographs of a white man wearing Converse trainers, jeans, a long-sleeved black T-shirt with a US flag and eagle on it, and a black baseball cap with a triangle.

Surveillance footage released at the news conference shows the man fleeing across a university rooftop about 120 metres (400ft) from where Kirk was speaking, before dropping down to the ground and running along the edge of the campus car park, across the road and into nearby woods, leaving behind palm and shoe prints which are now being analysed.

This image released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shows an image of a person of interest in the investigation into the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk that occurred on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
This image released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shows a person of interest in the investigation into the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk that occurred on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah (AFP)

What do we know about the weapon used to kill Kirk?

Investigators said they had recovered a bolt-action rifle in the nearby woodland, which they believe to have been used in the shooting.

FBI special agent Robert Bohls described the weapon as “a high-powered, bolt-action rifle”. According to US media outlets citing sources, it is an imported Mauser .30-06 bolt-action rifle.

Unlike semi-automatic guns, bolt-action rifles have a slower rate of fire but are valued for their precision. Bohls said the weapon is currently undergoing analysis at an FBI laboratory for possible evidence.

The rifle and three unfired rounds of ammunition inside it were reported to be engraved with expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, quoting a person familiar with the investigation and an internal law enforcement bulletin.

What else are investigators doing to find the shooter?

On Thursday, the FBI announced a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person, or people, responsible for the fatal shooting of Kirk.

Scheffler’s sub-70 streak ends as Hughes leads

Getty Images

Procore Championship – round one leaderboard

-9 M Hughes (Can); -8 B Griffin (US), M McCarthy (US); -7 L Griffin (US), R Henley (US); -6 A Albertson (US); -5 J Koivun (US), T Montgomery (US), JJ Spaun (US)

Selected others: -2 S Scheffler (US); -1 S Burns (US); even H English (US), C Morikawa (US), J Thomas (US), C Young (US), P Cantlay (US);

Scottie Scheffler’s streak of 21 sub-70 scores is over after he finished the opening round of the Procore Championship seven shots behind leader Mackenzie Hughes.

US Ryder Cup rookie Ben Griffin carded a six-under-par 64 and trails Canada’s Hughes by one shot in Napa, California.

World number one Scheffler, who had tied with Patrick Cantlay for the longest streak of sub-70 runs, hasn’t finished lower than eighth place since March.

“I think it was a pretty frustrating day overall,” Scheffler said. “I felt like I did some things well out there, I just wasn’t quite getting the reward.”

Scheffler is set to make his third appearance at the Ryder Cup when it gets under way in America on 26 September and a nine more of the 12-strong US team are also using this week’s event to warm up.

“I think it was a little different today just knowing that all of us were kind of paired in the same little area of tee times and we obviously did spend a lot of time with each other this week so it definitely feels slightly different than it would have if this tournament was in March,” Henley said.

“You know, the Ryder Cup is right around the corner.”

The top nine players are separated by just four shots with amateur Jackson Koivun among those in contention.

Leader Hughes, 34, is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour with the last of those triumphs coming in 2022.

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Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,296

Here is how things stand on Friday, September 12:

Fighting

  • Anti-aircraft units downed seven Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow early on Friday, according to the Russian capital’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
  • Russian forces have taken control of the settlement of Sosnivka in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
  • A “massive” Ukrainian drone attack forced authorities in Russia’s Belgorod region to order children to stay at home while closing its schools and shopping centres, the regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
  • The Moscow-installed administration of the Russia-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station accused Ukraine of attacking a training centre at the plant with drones.
A resident looks at his destroyed home following a Russian air strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on August 30, 2025 [Kateryna Klochko/AP Photo]

Regional security

  • The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting to address Russia’s violation of Polish airspace earlier this week, Poland’s Foreign Ministry said.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed for a tougher response to the suspected Russian drone incursion into Poland from Kyiv’s allies, saying the move by Moscow was likely aimed at slowing supplies of air defences to Ukraine before winter.
  • Polish President Karol Nawrocki claimed the Russian drone incursion was an attempt to test Poland’s and NATO’s capability to react militarily.
  • The Russian drone incursion was a “kind of a prelude” to Russia’s upcoming “Zapad” military exercises in Belarus, Poland’s National Security Bureau chief said.
  • Russia will not make any further comments on the shooting down by Poland of what Warsaw said were Russian drones in its airspace, the Kremlin said.
  • Polish military representatives plan to visit Ukraine for training on shooting down drones, a source familiar with the matter said.
  • France will deploy three Rafale fighter jets to help Poland protect its airspace after this week’s drone incursions, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday on X.
  • NATO’s allied air command will provide Lithuania with better early warnings of aerial launches against Ukraine that could cross into Lithuania, NATO’s top military commander Alexus Grynkewich said.
  • Germany will strengthen its commitment to NATO’s eastern border, including expanding “air policing over Poland” in response to the incursion of Russian drones, a government spokesperson said.
  • German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasised the need for Germany’s BND foreign intelligence service to heighten its operational levels in the wake of increased threats of hybrid attacks by Russia.

Military aid

  • German arms giant Rheinmetall plans to manufacture artillery shells for Ukrainian forces at a future production plant in Ukraine, Kyiv’s defence minister said.
  • Sweden’s Defence Ministry announced plans for 70 billion Swedish krona ($7.5bn) in military support for Ukraine over the next two years.

Politics and diplomacy

  • President Zelenskyy said he had discussed joint weapons production with Washington and imposing further sanctions on Russia during talks with US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv on Thursday.
  • A representative of United States President Donald Trump told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that the US wanted to reopen its embassy in Minsk and normalise ties between the two countries, after Washington closed the embassy in 2022, the State-run Belta news agency reported.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin has still not decided on attending the APEC summit in South Korea next month, the Kremlin said.

Sanctions

  • Several European Union members including the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Spain summoned their respective Russian ambassadors and charge d’affaires to express official condemnation of Russia violating Polish airspace earlier this week.
  • A timeline for the imposition of the EU’s 19th package of sanctions against Russia is still undetermined, after an EU delegation returned from Washington, according to a European Commission spokesperson.
  • The US will pressure G7 countries to impose higher tariffs on India and China for buying Russian oil, the Financial Times reported, as the US looks to ramp up sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.